Scars Deeper than the Surface
"Scars Deeper than the Surface" is a Season 4 thread written March 22, 2015. It takes place concurrently with "The Doctor Is In" and leads into "It Will Heal." Summary Full Text 'Vox Arnason: '''Vox wandered into the tent, his vision blurred and head pounding. The toll of the attack on the camp was beyond measure, and he could tell just by the sheer amounts of people crowding the small confines set aside for medical attention that it was going to be a huge blow to the rebellion force. What scared him further were the masses of people ''not here. “Excuse me, can anyone help me?” He looked around, seeing many wounded, but nobody able to tend to them. It was a sobering sight. A man turned to Vox; an older gentleman who donned the rebel colors. His face was lacerated and bruised, but the man looked in better condition than most. “Ay, they ‘aven’t been ta’ count the dead yet. Not like they would find much left o’ them.” Vox cringed at the words. He knew it to be true, but to hear them made it much more real. He felt the pulsating pain on the back of his head, and couldn’t ignore it much longer. He needed medical assistance. 'Hunter Lindholm: '''Hunter pushed back the tent flap, groaning at the never dwindling number of wounded. They already lost around 15 within the tent, he couldn’t bear to think of losing more. He spotted a tall, young man, looking around confused and hurt, “Hey, hey. Are you alright?” He held his shoulder firmly in case he keeled over, “Tell me what’s wrong.” '''Vox Arnason: '"I-I don’t know." His head continued to pulse. He could hear the blood rushing, blurring his vision further. Placing a hand to the back of his head, he felt the familiar, damp presence of blood. "A wall. It fell- it fell and I was there… I was there…" He leaned forward, nauseated and uncoordinated. "I need to, to sit…" 'Hunter Lindholm: '“Crap,” Hunter caught him as he lurched forward, “Let’s get you inside.” The young man was tall but light, and he brought him inside and set him on an empty cot. Blood was flowing down at the back of his head. He needed to close it up; he frantically searched for instruments, “Stay awake, kid! Talk to me! What’s your name?” 'Vox Arnason: '"Uh, my name…" He cringed as the man felt the wound. It stung, provoking the pounding in his skull. "Vox, my name… is Vox. Arnason." He felt sick to his stomach. The heat in the tent from the congregation of bodies in one space was taking a number on him. The crying, the moaning of pain from several entities near him. "Where is Haddock? Tree… Akkey… Grey…" He remembered seeing them, not too long ago. He could see the fountain, and Akkey grabbing his hand, and Tree… in the air… 'Hunter Lindholm: '''He stopped for a quick moment when he heard his name. ''Vox. That’s one Akkey’s friends. He continued flipping boxes and bags in frustration. He couldn’t find any, “Sayaka! Are we out of sutures?” “Varric went to the other buildings still standing to look for more.” “Shit.” he turned back towards Vox and supported him behind the head, feeling the wound, “The King and Grey are outside, I just patched them up. Akkey will… be fine. And Tree… I don’t know who she is, I’m sorry.” He shook his head, trying to block out the negative thoughts. “This is a nasty blow you got here.” He covered the wound with his hand, giving it an extra surge of power by speaking it aloud, “Claudus.” The wound closed immediately and didn’t clot, unlike Grey’s, “There,” he sat back, suddenly overcome with fatigue, “Rest for a bit, I used most of the energy to close the wound, but you’ll still be dizzy if you stand.” 'Vox Arnason: '"…thank you." Vox breathed, as the pounding against his skull began to subside. He rested for now, knowing that someone would be taking care of Tree. She had her way of coming back to him. "Thank… thank you sir. I don’t think I caught your name." 'Hunter Lindholm: '“None of that sir business,” he laughed weakly, head between his knees, “My name is Hunter.” “You mentioned a name… Tree…” I lied, it’s familiar. Akkey’s friend. “Maybe I’ve seen her? I probably met half the rebellion already just by sitting in here, patching up wounds. What does she look like?” 'Vox Arnason: '"She’s a half-breed, a cat… she went up with Warren and I haven’t seen her since." He could breathe slower now, his head returning to a semi-functioning state. "Thank you Hunter. It’s great to make your acquaintance." 'Hunter Lindholm: '''Hunter followed Maya with his eyes, seeing her give the cannabis to a girl with cat ears. ''Yeah, that’s her. “The pleasure’s all mine,” he turned back, pulling out a washcloth and started wiping off the blood that was left from the wound, “Oh, so she was with that rabbit girl whose ribs I patched up, eh? What happened there, anyway? Grey said Akkey saved them… was that how she got that wound on her back?” 'Vox Arnason: '"Must be. I can’t be too sure, I think- auch, that stings…- I think I got knocked out when I was trying to reach them." He touched his thumb to each finger to ensure he still had motor function. It was a slow process, but he was able to do so. "I just want her to be alrigh- ugh, this sucks." He held a hand against his forehead, trying to find any way to distract himself. It had been one of the worst days of his life, and he couldn’t cope anymore. 'Hunter Lindholm: '''Hunter finished swabbing Vox’ wound and sighed sadly. The boy looked immensely exhausted, like the weight of the world just came crashing down on his shoulders. His was a face of grief and devastation; similar to hundreds of other rebels. He placed a hand again on the wound, he felt like he needed to do this. ''Senara. ''A rush of of relief passed through Vox’ head, alleviating some of the pain. “I’m sure…” Hunter mumbled, guiltily glancing towards where Tree was being treated. ''Not yet. You still need to rest, “I’m sure she’s fine… she’s strong, no?” 'Vox Arnason: '''The feeling that washed over him was euphoric, as if he’d been numbed by some divine intervention. He was able to exhale and relax some. "…yes, strong… very strong… wonderful, beautiful strong love…" He couldn’t control his speech, but his inhibitions had been squandered. He just let his mind loose. "She’s… everything… perfect… she didn’t mean to do it…" He opened his eyes and met Hunter’s. "She would never do it…" '''Hunter Lindholm: 'He held his gaze. Keep him awake. ''“Do what?” he asked, even if he knew what the boy was speaking of. '''Vox Arnason: 'He fought the daze off, blinking as rapidly as somebody in his state could muster. He wasn’t going out before seeing Tree. Vox gently raised his right arm, allowing it to fall against his chest; his finger pointed to his heart. "She didn’t… didn’t mean to do it. Mean to hurt… I love her…" Category:Season 4 Category:Events